Arlington, home of the Texas Christkindl Market, is betting that visitors won't mind paying to get a little extra holiday spirit when they visit the formerly free market. So far, that gamble appears to be paying off as Enchant Christmas — which bills itself as the world's largest Christmas light maze and market — drew more than 12,000 visitors on each of its first three days.

"We've been really pleased with the responses," said Kathy Beazley, spokeswoman for Vancouver-based Shine Lighting Group, which stages Enchant Christmas at its location next to Globe Life Park. "People are really amazed by the artistry of it."

And there's a lot of artistry to take in: a light maze in which visitors are asked to help Santa Claus find his nine missing reindeer; a golden palace that serves as Santa's home; an ice-skating pond and the Enchant Christmas Market, which features the familiar Christkindl attractions.

There has been some grumbling among "a small group of people" about the $29.95 entry fee for adults, but most visitors are adjusting fine to the admission fees, Beazley said.

Decima Mullen, senior director of marketing for the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, agreed with Beazley's assessment and emphasized that technically it's Enchant Christmas that carries the admission fee, not Christkindl.

More important, Christkindl wasn't sustainable in the long run if it operated under its previous conditions, Mullen said.

"There is a big group of people who have worked on this for years with all of their hearts," Mullen said. "We love this market just like our community does, but our job has always been to find ways to keep it going."

Something else that has caused a bit of confusion is the time slots assigned for visiting Enchant, which visitors choose when they purchase tickets. The slots come in two-hour windows, but that doesn't mean there's a limit on how long you can stay, Beazley said.

"Basically, if your window is from 7 to 9 [p.m.], you can come at any time during that time period — say, 7:05 — and you can stay as long as you like," Beazley said, adding that Enchant is open until 11 p.m.

Here's an overhead graphic illustration of what the grounds of Enchant Christmas look like in Arlington.

(EnchantChristmas.com)

Arlington was chosen to stage Enchant over several cities, including Houston, Atlanta and Tempe, Ariz., Beazley said. Its abundant acreage near Globe Life Park and its ability to stage the event on a flat surface were big selling points.

The plan is to make Enchant a touring event that will visit several cities over the holidays beginning next year. It will also return to Arlington in 2018, Beazley said, "but it will have a totally new theme and a totally new look."

Normal operating hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through Dec. 31. The attraction is closed on Christmas Eve and Mondays, except for Dec. 18 and 25. Tickets are $29.95 for adults, $21.95 for children ages 5 to 14, and free for children 4 years old and under with an accompanying adult.

Enchant is in Lot F of Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way, in Arlington. Parking in nearby stadium lots is free. A limited number of tickets are available at the door, but Beazley encourages purchases online at EnchantChristmas.com.

Christmas tree shortage?

It shouldn't be too much of a problem picking out a Christmas tree this year, although fewer choices may be available. That's according to a report filed by KTVT-TV (CBS11), which spotlighted a national Christmas tree shortage and how it could impact North Texas.

"Speaking to my grower, he said, 'John, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to give you your entire order this year, so you might start looking around'," John Patton, the owner of Patton Farm Fresh Christmas Trees in Lake Highlands, told CBS11.

Jose Flores sprays down Noble and Douglass fir Christmas trees with water on a warm afternoon at the Optimist Tree Lot at University Drive and West Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth. Though supplies of trees may be fewer in number this year, there should still be plenty to go around in Dallas-Fort Worth.

(DMN file photo

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Patton said he was able to eventually fill his lot with a full complement of trees, but he had to work harder for it.

Reporter Robbie Owens also said that calls to Kroger revealed that its stores are stocked with trees, but there may be fewer than in previous years.

What's to blame for the shortage? According to CBS11, it runs the gamut from wildfires and droughts to even the 2008 recession.

Microchip those pets

In an effort to reduce the number of loose dogs on the streets, the Lancaster City Council has approved a mandatory microchipping ordinance for all cats and dogs at least 4 months old and older. The council took that step at its Nov. 13 meeting.

"It's a serious issue, not just in Lancaster but throughout the region," said Fabrice Kabona, assistant to City Manager Opal Mauldin-Jones.

The ordinance will take effect on Feb. 19, but one of its provisions is already in place: a reduction in the price of microchipping from $25 to $15.

Two stray dogs drink from a puddle on Jamaica Street at Second Avenue in southern Dallas in 2016.

(DMN file photo)

"At some point, we started hearing that the price was an issue" for why residents didn't microchip their pets, Kabona said. "It has made a difference, but we also found that most people didn't know about the price difference."

The ordinance also offers a three-month grace period to allow pet owners to comply. The Lancaster Animal Shelter, 690 E. Main St., provides microchipping during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Microchipping involves a veterinarian or a trained shelter employee injecting a chip about the size of a grain of rice beneath the surface of an animal's skin between the shoulder blades.
The chip links to a pet database that keeps ownership information on file should the pet become lost.